CONTEXT OF PRACTICE//FINAL EVALUATION//OUGD501

END OF MODULE EVALUATION:

What skills have you developed through this module and how effectively do you think you have applied them? 
I feel I have learnt a lot throughout this module, particularly my knowledge within certain academic topics.  I feel the set of lectures has given me a broad understanding and interest in certain areas of academic study that can be related to graphic design.  The lectures have helped me to develop an understanding of theory and current issues.  I feel my research skills within essay writing has improved, having to research thoroughly and use books as sources to quote and support the content of the essay.  I also understood the concept of theory into practice a lot more this time around, having to design something in a way that displays, successfully, your findings or is theory based is an important skill to be able to apply.  This year, I feel the outcome of my publication was a lot more relevant to the type of outcome required.  Taking a concept, exploring it through different research methods and then applying these skills to individual case studies to prove the idea of the concept, all in a way that is relevant to its format and design style.  Another skill I feel has massively improved is the development of concepts.  At first I struggled to think of ways I could put my theory into practice but after relevant research and tutorials I felt my idea progressed massively from my essay which I used as a starting point.

What strengths can you identify in your work and how have/will you capitalise on these? 

I feel one of the biggest strengths I can identify in my work from this module is my research skills, for the essay and for the publication.  I used quite a few academic sources for my essay, taking advantage of the resources the library had to offer.  I feel this improved the content of  my essay.  I also feel a lot of research went into the development of my publication.  I feel the concept developed and changed throughout due to informative research, taking a small starting point from my essay and using this as an area to explore and expand.  I feel I am now quite informed about certain areas within the subject I chose to look into.  Tutorials and discussions helped to push my idea further and improve the quality of my final outcome.  Another strength I capitalised on was the understanding of theory into practice, I felt this time my research was thorough and that I took a certain area of this and applied it to prove the concept, shaping it into a design fitting for the content.

What weaknesses can you identify in your work and how will you address these in the future?

I think I can learn quite a lot from this module that can be improved for next time.  The first thing being my essay.  I feel like I have a good understanding of the topic and that some of it was written to a good standard, however, I feel some writing skills need to be improved.  In order to do this I need to organise my time more effectively to complete and improve it without rushing.  I feel like I should of dedicated more time to improving the essay even though I tried to amend it according to the feedback given.  This is something I have taken on board and am keen to apply to in third year.  Another weakness that ties in with time management is print production.  I feel I should of left myself enough time to be able to print without rushing, this would give me more options when considering how I could print it, stock etc.

Identify five things that you will do differently next time and what do you expect to gain from doing these? 

• Time management - This is something I feel I need to address at the end of every module.  I think my work could be massively improved if I give myself enough time for the design and production of my work.  I feel I always take too long coming up with concepts and researching, trying to ensure that my idea will work, however sometimes I think you just need to start designing and see where it goes from there.  I always underestimate the time certain projects will take and so this effects the final outcome and quality of my work.
• Writing skills - This is something that I felt let my down on this module and needs to be improved, again this is mainly down to time management, not giving myself enough time to improve it.
• Primary research - I feel informed and varied primary and secondary research is something that could inform and improve my practice and is something I will explore further, especially within this module.
• Range of products/outcome - I feel next time I want to explore the possibilities or making more than one publication and look at a range of products that could be made.  Another area I want to improve is exploring different processes and print methods which could improve the final outcome instead of limiting myself to stocks and digital print.
• Concept/idea generation - This is something that I need to get quicker at in order to give myself enough time to make the product/publication to a high standard.  I feel like in the early stages of idea development I should test out different ideas and do quick mock ups and designs to see whether they would work and how I could develop them further, instead of waiting until I think an idea is strong enough to take forward.

Attendance = 4
Punctuality = 4
Motivation = 4
Commitment = 3
Quantity of work produced = 3
Quality of work produced = 3
Contribution to the group = 3